Gift knit gloves

In the end I only did two gift knits this year and this is the second one, pre-blocking:

 

They are Ferryboat Mitts from Churchmouse Studios, a straightforward pattern that's such a pleasure to knit! Especially in the very springy alpaca/wool combo I had on hand. There are patterns available at the link for several different yarns and weights but I've linked specifically to the Brooklyn Tweed Shelter for fun. 

These were knit for somebody who likes a long glove and as they got VERY long I worried I would run out of yarn. 

Indeed in the end I had no more than would fit into the palm of my hand...

 

... but it's enough to slip into a matching calorimetry headscarf later if this recipient ever wants one too!

 

Knitting a random project for somebody else reminded me what I like about knitting. You get an idea, and you make it real, almost out of thin air, with string and needles. It helped that I made these on a gorgeous set of Lantern Moon double points, and I'm already plotting something I could make on those again! 

Alas I saw when I went to get the link for those needles that the wood they're using has changed. What I have is brown and warm and a good contrast for all yarns; now it seems to be black. I'm sure I would love those too but it reconfirms something I've begun to suspect, that it really is smart to buy what you like when you see it because it may not be available later. 

This is proving true of book editions for particular titles I want on my shelves, too. A book with nice floppy pages and ink that's got a lot of contrast with the page (sometimes pages are almost grey!) and sporting a good cover to boot? That's a rare thing, surprisingly.

 

I hope any knits you did over this holiday season went smoothly and were well received, and that your weekend is looking restful or fun or any combination thereof! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you next Saturday. With a blanket update, because I know you're all desperate to see how that's going, ha!

 

 

Rethinking gift knitting

I finished and gifted a knit this week!

This manta ray-like Calorimetry head scarf was a last minute idea for a friend who often wears a ponytail, and for whom I really wanted to show the love of a handknit. And that's the key for gift knitting, right? It's not just because we enjoy the work and don't have space to store all we make. We want to show our love. 

With this project, I also showed how close to the line I was willing to go, to get the best possible colour combinations for my giftee within the constraint of what I had in my stash. I wanted to emphasize the green but I had only 20g and the scarf needs about 45, so I grabbed some grey in the same tubular-spun superwash wool and hoped for the best with the striping.

Look how much green I had left when it was done! (and overlook the blurry photo... I got too close with the camera.

Not even three inches. And I only had that much left because I ran in the cast on tail so I could cut off the rest and splice it in for the cast off.

Then it was time to add a button for the closure but it turns out I had no buttons to choose from. Somehow I have reached this stage of life without a button box full of castoffs and cutes. I did have one green sweetie but...

Wrong colour, wrong hole size. So when I gifted it I made my friend try it on so I could pin it to the right size, and then I used the tail I'd left hanging to stitch it shut. 

Flexibility is so important at this time of year.

Speaking of which... 

I did knit something else too, and I had plans for a second Calorimetry for a third friend, but it was giving me trouble and I had to rip out to start over. At that point I thought, she does not need this, and is already getting an I Love You message via perfect tiny things I found over the course of the year.

So that's not happening. (totally saving this idea for next year, but I won't wait till December to knit it!)

And the fourth gift knit I was considering... I'm not sure it's even what that person would want or wear. So maybe I'm better off enjoying my blanket project during these final days of chaos?

I mean, Christmas is basically four days away at this point. And there are still visits to make and wrapping to do. So... I'm rethinking my plans.

Probably knitting that last thing anyway, but with a side of second-guessing all the way through, ha!

 

I won't check in till Saturday and Christmas falls in between, so I will take this opportunity to wish you a very happy season however you celebrate, and thank you for your friendship. 

See you next Saturday!

 

Knitting Day

I can't put this off any longer - with about a week to go before I have to have one particular Christmas knit finished, blocked, dried, and wrapped, I am not even a quarter of the way through. Today's gotta be a knitting day! And a good thing too, because it's cold outside.

This pic is actually from a few days ago but the only difference now is that the snow from the branches is now piled on the ground, and the sun's shining. It's not actually producing heat, but it's bright.

Knitting Day is serious business, requiring the seriously big teapot cup:

 

And also, caffeinated tea. My cousin sent me a tin of Fortnum and Mason's Royal Blend tea (pictured in top left corner) and it is delicious.

She also sent me this adorable ornament, in a nod to our having had tea together at Fortnum and Mason once or twice, back when we both lived in/near London:

Here's the side with the sweets:

So cute, right? 

Anyway: I am all set up with long-term fuel. And I have the project, which I'm sorry not to be able to show you at this time what with it being a surprise and all, in one of my favourite project bags made from French General cloth.  

 

Wish me luck, and I wish you the same with whatever endeavours you have lined up for the weekend. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you next Saturday!

 

 

Cleaning Up and Colour Q

I won't be boring you with crochet blanketings today except to say UGH this is why one should not do a long series of tiny stripes of colour...

So many ends to run in, and so much scrap afterward. Thankfully, [my red-eared monster] Gwen's diet of choice is yarn scraps. The pile was bigger before she started eating them.

 

Moving on: I've been cleaning up my yarn stash while hunting for something the right colour for a friend's gift, which I am not knitting fast enough for Christmas because BLANKET!, and found this handspun yarn I made, probably from Twisted Fiber Art fleece, lo these many years ago.  

 

Like, I made it and washed it and never caked it, or even thought of a project for it! Must remedy that.

 

I especially admire this green and brown one but the blue and brown yarn looks like it kinda works with the aforementioned Christmas knit, right? Assuming I can come up with an idea that embraces the extreme wonkiness of the ever-changing weight because I was not a good spinner when I did this apparently.

Not sure this background shows it at its best...

Maybe it's too close without being right? Or if it only needs to be a coordinating piece... 

I'll have to think it over. While doing this!
 

bwa ha ha ha ha you knew I wasn't going to leave without a progress report, right? This blanket is 18.5 inches along now, which is about the halfway point. I'm still (hopefully) in a position to finish in time to curl up under it on Boxing Day. Even if I'm only curled up under it to do the edging, ahem.

Hope you have a lovely weekend lined up? I've been baking, here, so whatever else happens the house smells marvellous, and I have cute new festive tea mugs to drink out of, yum. 

See you next Saturday, and thanks again for dropping by!